Earthquakes settle for draw with Vancouver

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Nick Lima wanted to get more than a point Wednesday night.

And, he and his Earthquakes teammates almost did. But in the end, they were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps in an entertaining game before a crowd of 17,357 at B.C. Place Stadium.

“At the end of the day, we’ll take a draw,” said Lima, who put the Quakes ahead 2-1 before the Whitecaps pulled even. “But I think it was a game where we could have got three points. We should have got three points.

“But now we know – and I think we knew it before – we’re a team where we can go on the road and get three points in a tough environment like this. That gives us a lot more confidence.”

Advertisement

The Earthquakes (2-5-3) are unbeaten in two games after going winless in seven, but they squandered a 2-1 lead after overcoming a 1-0 deficit.

Lima’s tally was the first of the season. Danny Hoesen scored the Quakes’ other goal, posting his second marker in three games.

Cristian Techera and Yordy Reyna tallied for the Whitecaps (4-5-3), who were kept winless for the third straight game and sixth time in their past seven outings.

Reyna created the deadlock in the 64th minute as he headed Marcel de Jong’s cross in off the head of Quakes defender Shea Salinas.

The Quakes were forced to play catch-up early as Techera opened the scoring in the 19th minute. He took a short through ball from Reyna and beat Quakes goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell with a low roller.

However, the Quakes caught a break as Hoesen got behind Whitecaps defenders and volleyed a long lead ball over goalkeeper Brian Rowe in the first minute of first-half added time.

Lima sent the Quakes ahead 2-1 in the 53rd minute as he curled in a shot from the right wing after taking a pass from Vako Qazaishvili. The midfielder triggered the play as he made a long run up the middle of the pitch unchecked and then sent a pass out wide to Lima.

“I just shot it,” said Lima. “There was a lot of space between me and the defender, and he kind of backed off. I got an opportunity, I just tried to take it and, luckily, it went in.”

The Earthquakes remained unbeaten in their past six games against the Whitecaps.

Earthquakes top striker Chris Wondolowski was deployed as a second-half substitute for the second straight game. He came off the bench to set the record for most MLS goals with a single club (136) in a 3-1 win over Minnesota last weekend. But he could not make a difference this time.

The move offered Wondolowski a chance to rest as the Quakes played the second of three games in a week. But Wondolowski has recorded more goals (11) and shots (58) than any other player – for either side – during all-time MLS meetings between the Quakes and Caps.

“It’s always hard to put the captain on the bench, but the purpose was to organize the team in the best manner,” said Quakes coach Mikael Starhe.

He suggested that Wondolowski will be able to have a good game when the Quakes host D.C. United on Saturday.

The Earthquakes put three shots on target compared to Vancouver’s nine. Tarbell preserved the draw with a point-blank save on Reyna in the late going.

“He had some phenomenal saves in the first half, and in the second half he had some, too,” said Lima.